stagnant
Not moving or flowing, and often smelly and stale.
stagnant in a sentence
- Mosquitoes buzzed over the stagnant pond, which had not stirred for weeks.
- The rainwater in the old bucket had gone stagnant, green and smelly after weeks of sitting still.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to stagnant?
- Afresh
- Bstill
- Cflowing
- Dmoving
Show the answer
B: still. The other three mean the opposite of stagnant.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to stagnant?
- Aflowing
- Bmotionless
- Cstale
- Dstill
Show the answer
A: flowing. The other three mean nearly the same as stagnant.
Words that mean something similar
still, stale, motionless
Words that mean the opposite
flowing, fresh, moving
More words about weather & nature
- swelter: To feel uncomfortably hot.
- temperate: Mild, without extremes of heat or cold.
- tempest: A violent storm with strong winds.
- tempestuous: Stormy and wild, or full of strong emotions.
- tepid: Only slightly warm.
- torrent: A fast, powerful rush of water or words.
- turbulent: Full of sudden movement, confusion or trouble.
- vapour: A gas that forms when a liquid evaporates, or a fine mist of tiny drops hanging in the air.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test